Harbaugh Recruiting Tactics
Mods feel free to delete since this is hearsay, but I've seen a lot of "disappointment" in Harbaugh's recruiting tactics the past few days on the blog. So I figured I would post this.
My former teammate's cousin is (probably was at this point) a Michigan commit. I will leave his name out for privacy reasons. I talked to my buddy last weekend, and he told me that his cousin would probably be playing at a different school.
However, he had nothing but good things to say about Harbaugh and his staff. He said the coaches meticulously laid out who his competition would be, and explained to him that they weren't done recruiting the position yet. Harbaugh also told him that his scholarship to one of the best academic institutes was absolutely still available to him, but he would need to work his ass off to see any playing time. Said recruit has decided that while academics are important, playing football is his true passion and wants to see the field sooner than later. He would rather fine tune his game on the field and get better.
He also said he was ecstatic with the Michigan offer, because not a lot of schools were looking at him before. Now he has quite a few offers.
Again feel free to delete. This is only one recruit; I have no idea about any of the others. I was having a hard time believing that the coaching staff was simply ignoring recruits (nothing about Harbaugh's personality suggests that type of passive-aggressive behavior). There is always two sides to every story. A true leader has to make tough decisions. Not everything can be unicorns and rainbows.
*Queue brother's sister's cousin twice removed comments.
January 20th, 2016 at 7:20 AM ^
Just the quality of posts we've come to expect from you.
January 20th, 2016 at 9:43 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 12:38 PM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 7:41 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 8:43 AM ^
If you're trying to show examples of where the staff screwed a kid or where the situatiion ended up badly for the kid, you didn't choose very well.
Pipkins was told in June that the staff thought he should take a Medical Hardship. They gave the option to stay and finish his degree or plenty of time to transfer. Michigan didn't get any advantage by letting him go from a scholarship numbers perspective.
By various reports, Falcon was asked by the staff to pass on playing his senior year and focus on rehab. He decided to play and got injured. Based on that the staff pulled his offer in October-- four and a half months before signing day. They also offered him the opportunity to go on medical and get a free education at Michigan.
Colter is an example of the team breaking up with him where it turned out pretty well for the player. He ended up getting a degree from one of the best universities in the country and also ended up one of NU's best offensive players in a long time.
Not sure what happened with Swenson, but to say that the staff definitely screwed him by pointing at Pipkins or Falcon or saying that it's not going to work out for the kid by pointing at Colter definitely doesn't make sense.
January 20th, 2016 at 9:32 AM ^
Remember, you're talking to a Buckeye. They don't see academics as part of the equation.
January 20th, 2016 at 9:48 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 10:37 AM ^
And what was shady about those?
January 20th, 2016 at 10:52 AM ^
#WeAintComeHereToPlaySchool
January 20th, 2016 at 1:02 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 10:55 AM ^
Sounds like (hopefully) Brian can clear up with a post? This has gotten a lot of traction on this board.
January 19th, 2016 at 11:56 PM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 12:07 AM ^
Certainly though, it makes sense to me that a player might prefer to actually get good playing time at a smaller school instead of riding line at Michigan. And I think it is only appropriate that Harbaugh tell a recruit if they are likely to be buried on the bench.
I don't see this as destroying a dream or something, but rather giving someone all of the facts. These facts may make some recruits reconsider their commitment, but I don't see that as unethical on the part of Harbaugh. Sadly, there's a lot of people who want to play, and only one ball. To an extent, we're left to take him at his word that he will do what's right. So far, I see no reason to think otherwise, but I'll certainly change my position if given cause to do so.
January 20th, 2016 at 12:33 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 12:35 AM ^
This is such a cowardly attitude.
"We don't have to consider our actions because the institutions bigger than us will decide our morality for us."
If the staff actually operated with this attitude then I wouldn't want to be a fan of their program.
January 20th, 2016 at 1:29 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 4:55 AM ^
Hold on. The coach should not extend a scholarship to someone he doesnt feel can help the team. But in this case he did feel that he could help the team because he offered it and it was accepted. Coach should have to live with that commitment (Barring some injury, or grades or what not). Coach is an adult. (insert Miike Gundy) Kids can flip because they are kids. In this case it looks like Jim thinks this way too. But wants to let the kid know up front that he has not progressed the way they thought he would, and the kid likely will not play a down at UM because of the competition at his position. Overall I think (If this OP is accurate) Jim is handling it correctly. All Hail Jim. GO Blue!
January 20th, 2016 at 6:28 AM ^
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January 20th, 2016 at 6:35 AM ^
Even more props to Jim then. If he didnt offer the recruit, but stood by the institution that did.
If he told recruit X? Then? We dont know that.
January 20th, 2016 at 9:49 AM ^
That if the new standard here is "as long as its within the rules" the bellyaching about the SEC oversigning will stop?
January 20th, 2016 at 10:07 AM ^
Remember, it is a two way street. Until national signing day or when a recruit puts his name to the piece of paper, he can change his mind and go elsewhere.
When someone commits two years out, there is a quid pro quo that goes along with the commitment, and that is continued development as a player, good conduct and a minimum level of academic achievement.
January 20th, 2016 at 10:35 AM ^
January 19th, 2016 at 11:56 PM ^
January 19th, 2016 at 11:58 PM ^
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January 20th, 2016 at 12:01 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 12:03 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 12:23 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 2:39 AM ^
I have no idea why my tablet will auto correct the weirdest shit. Sorry about that.
January 20th, 2016 at 5:22 AM ^
so be careful out there. and watch for their horn if you try to 'dude' one of them....
January 20th, 2016 at 6:24 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 8:11 AM ^
This is what Tom Harmon was warning us about.
January 20th, 2016 at 8:32 AM ^
Might be the most disturbing GIF I've ever seen. Lots of weird in this one.
January 20th, 2016 at 9:28 AM ^
then felt sick
January 20th, 2016 at 8:40 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 9:05 AM ^
that is some sick stuff.
January 20th, 2016 at 9:18 AM ^
What. The. Shit.
January 20th, 2016 at 9:59 AM ^
That is the creepiest thing I have seen in a long time
January 20th, 2016 at 12:25 AM ^
Because the two aren't mutually exclusive. As much shit as we give Dantonio, he beat OSU last year and won the B1G without doing like this. If he can do that at MSU without being shady, we should definitely be able to it at Michigan the same.
January 20th, 2016 at 12:37 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 12:38 AM ^
Dantonio's hardly a saint. And you saw what happened against Alabama. You need the best recruits to win, and sometimes you have to do sketchy shit to get them.
January 20th, 2016 at 9:19 AM ^
I love to hear Stringer Bell talking about doing Sketchy shit. Well said.
January 20th, 2016 at 12:39 AM ^
He also just lost 38-0 to Alabama.
January 20th, 2016 at 1:15 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 1:32 AM ^
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January 20th, 2016 at 1:58 AM ^
January 20th, 2016 at 7:35 AM ^
As well as those that are brandishing weapons while driving.
January 20th, 2016 at 7:26 AM ^
And anyone who doesn't believe this can just look at these statistics. Averaging more than an arrest per year in the last five years.
January 20th, 2016 at 9:41 AM ^
Not sure where the data comes from for that article, but MSU having only 7 arrests during that time period is laughable. And the 5 year time frame conveniently just misses the December 2009 fight involving 15 players, 11 of whom were charged with crimes.
January 20th, 2016 at 10:20 AM ^
Yes, because I am precisely saying that you either need to have a team full of ex-cons or partake in shady recruitment. There are no other alternatives.
I'm not saying that Dantonio is a saint or that I agree with all of his personal decisions. Obviously what he did the Rucker/Winston was increidbly sketchy. But there is no reason to think he's done anything like this to a recruit, which is what the OP was about. The OP said to beat OSU and win the B1G we need to accept sketchy recruiting. Dantonio has proved that's not true.
And it's not like he had any guys walk out of jail onto the field this year. The only guy with major legal issues was Delton Williams, who had 26 carries all year and only 3 touches vs OSU, so he was not a factor in winning the B1G at all.
I also love the mindset you have. "Our coach did something bad, and the coach I don't like didn't. But here's something else completely unrelated that the other coach did bad. So ha, everything's okay again."